The taste gap
I was watching Ira Glass last night on Current.tv. He was giving would-be storytellers some tips on making good video. He had some of the best advice I think I’ve never heard before.
He said something like, “look, you want to make stories because you love good stories. And because you love good stories, you see and read a lot of them. And so, you’ve got good taste.” “But then you make your own story, and it’s not that good. And you think about giving up.” “There’s this gap–a gap between what you’re actually able to produce and what you know is good–that you can only get over if you just keep at it and don’t give up.”
I think I have that problem. Sometimes I don’t post very much because I read a bunch of great stuff, and I get frustrated with my own stuff. I read a lot. And I’m really picky.
Lately I’ve been reading a lot of Gerry Spence, and he just makes me feel so inferior–even though he’s trying to cause exactly the opposite effect.
I think Ira’s right though, the only way to really get over it is to keep on plugging away.
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